SD Drain Tile
Cutting Edge Technology
How does it work?
SD Drain® Tile receives elevation data from your RTK-GPS receiver and automatically outputs signals to the hydraulics controlling your tile plow.

Click on the dots below to learn more

Vertical Light Bar
Visual reference to see how far the plow is above or below the designed tile line.
Overhead View
Shows your location in the field, as well as surveyed and tiled lines. You can add a geo-referenced background map that is either an image or a shape file and an additional active layer that can be used to guide you on a pre-planned tile layout.
Window Button
Allows you to toggle on/off selected windows and activate the 3D Map View. User must have proper file uploaded for 3D functionality.
Side Profile
Shows a side view of a surveyed tile run with three colored profiles; minimum depth, ideal depth, and maximum depth. A design line will appear and regenerate as the user drops the tile boot into the starter hole.
Grade Button
Allows the user to increase or decrease the minimum grade.
SD Drain® Tile Systems Include:
- PX-501 Sunlight Readable Tablet PC
- SD Drain Tile Software
- DAC 8000 Controller with wireless connection to PX-501
- Associated Cables to plug DAC 8000 Controller into electric over hydraulic valves on qualifying tractors or external valve
- Associated cables to plug into users GPS
- Mounting hardware
- Rugged carrying case

Options
Hydraulic Valve
Add an external valve to tractors without electric over hydraulic control.
Joystick
The Multi-Function Joystick with an easy grip handle provides fingertip control for up to 3 valves with its reliable electric over hydraulic interface. Engage or disengage machine control function. Auto level scraper or blade when running optional cross slope control.
Preplan with Ag Data Mapping Solution
Create background images and guidance lines for SD Drain Tile with an Ag Data Management Solution (ADMS) software package from GK Technology, Inc. ADMS is your complete mapping software, in a simple to use format. The Topography & Drainage module allows you create maps showing topography, flow accumulations, watersheds, hills, and depressions. The profile tool lets you preview how proposed tile runs will fit. You can easily preplan where your tile runs should be and export guidance lines and background images for use in SD Drain tile.
VD04 – Vehicle Dock
IP54 water & dust resistant, vibration resistant*, Shock resistant**, 9 to 32VDC input, 19VDC 1.57A output, .75mm / 100mm VESA bracket screw holes.
*MIL-STD-810G, Method 514.6 Category 4, Fig 514.6C-1
**MIL-STD-810G; Method 516.6, Procedure I, Functional Shock; Method 516.6, Procedure V, Crash hazard Shock
RDK-501 – Detachable Keyboard
Designed to meet IP54 specifications, RDK-501 is fully rugged and foldable as a notebook. With integrated backlighting that provides 4 levels of brightness, RDK-501 also comes with an integrated touchpad and supports keyboard layouts in different languages.
SD Drain® Tile Features
Survey & Design
The first thing you do in the field is survey the tile run by driving the tile path with the plow up in the air. As you survey, SD Drain Tile will automatically capture elevation points to create a survey line. The survey line will be displayed on screen as you drive the path. When the survey is completed, SD Drain Tile will automatically generate a plan for the tile run as you drop the plow in into the starter hole. This plan will show the proposed tile line as well as minimum and maximum depth guides for the tile.
Survey & Design
The first thing you do in the field is survey the tile run by driving the tile path with the plow up in the air. As you survey, SD Drain Tile will automatically capture elevation points to create a survey line. The survey line will be displayed on screen as you drive the path. When the survey is completed, SD Drain Tile will automatically generate a plan for the tile run as you drop the plow in into the starter hole. This plan will show the proposed tile line as well as minimum and maximum depth guides for the tile.
Edit Functions
Before you start your tile run, you have the option to adjust how the final tile design will look. You can manipulate the tile design by changing the minimum or maximum slope values, as well as the desired depth of the tile. You can also remove points in the survey pass. As an example, if you drive over a ditch and you would like the tile to be laid shallower in the ditch bottom, you can delete points on either side of the ditch.
Controlled Pre-Rip
Hard soil conditions and rocks can cause headaches while installing tile. A controlled Pre-Rip, just above your install line, can eliminate the need for a second pulling tractor. Survey your tile run and then select the Pre-Rip option. You choose the Pre-Rip depth as an offset from your design line. Then you can enjoy an easier pull when you install your tile.
Controlled Pre-Rip
Hard soil conditions and rocks can cause headaches while installing tile. A controlled Pre-Rip, just above your install line, can eliminate the need for a second pulling tractor. Survey your tile run and then select the Pre-Rip option. You choose the Pre-Rip depth as an offset from your design line. Then you can enjoy an easier pull when you install your tile.
Bubble Level / Auto Level
Dual-link plow users with an optional slope sensor can take advantage of the Bubble Level. This on-screen visual indicator shows the current fore-slope of the plow. If your setup allows you to automatically engage your plow hydraulics while stopped, you can automatically level your plow in the starter hole with the press of a button.
Bubble Level / Auto Level
Dual-link plow users with an optional slope sensor can take advantage of the Bubble Level. This on-screen visual indicator shows the current fore-slope of the plow. If your setup allows you to automatically engage your plow hydraulics while stopped, you can automatically level your plow in the starter hole with the press of a button.
Tiling with Automatic Flagging
While tiling, if the plow deviates from the expected tile path, SD Drain Tile will automatically flag that location. This action can be caused by hitting an object in the field or manually raising the plow because of a broken piece of tile. If you need to dig out a rock, the program will visually guide you back to the proper depth and you will be able to continue the existing tile run.
Manual Flagging
Need to drop a flag for any reason? SD Drain Tile allows you to create custom flags to drop while tiling. This feature makes it easy to mark common objects you don’t have time to immediately deal with, but would like to find later. Examples include rocks or rogue equipment pieces such as a chisel plow shank.
Manual Flagging
Need to drop a flag for any reason? SD Drain Tile allows you to create custom flags to drop while tiling. This feature makes it easy to mark common objects you don’t have time to immediately deal with, but would like to find later. Examples include rocks or rogue equipment pieces such as a chisel plow shank.
Background Images
You can load a georeferenced background image into SD Drain Tile for an overhead view of the field you are working on. Such maps are useful to show you where you are in the field, the topography, or determine where tile will be placed in the field.
Benchmarks
Benchmarks are used to compensate for GPS drift. GPS drift can happen when you power down a portable RTK-GPS base station. Portable base stations often use a quick average to calculate their location and this quick average my not be the same from day to day. By driving to a certain known point with your scraper, and capturing a benchmark, you now have the ability to return to that same location and recall that known point, correcting for any GPS drift.
Benchmarks
Benchmarks are used to compensate for GPS drift. GPS drift can happen when you power down a portable RTK-GPS base station. Portable base stations often use a quick average to calculate their location and this quick average my not be the same from day to day. By driving to a certain known point with your plow, and capturing a benchmark, you now have the ability to return to that same location and recall that known point, correcting for any GPS drift.
Import Guide / Survey Lines
Guide lines can be imported into SD Drain Tile. These lines will show up as a layer in the overhead view and will stack on top of any background image. Just click or tap on the line to select it. Either type can have specific parameters associated with the line that will over-ride the default parameters of the program for that specific line. Guidance lines are used to guide you over a proposed tile run when you are driving your survey pass. Survey lines are just that, pre-made survey passes. Survey passes can only be used when you recall a benchmark that was created when the field was surveyed prior to creating the lines in ADMS. Simply select the survey line, put your plow in the hole and go.
Grid Lines
Grid Lines allow you to layout a series of parallel lines on the screen. These Grid Lines can be rotated and shifted around to meet your needs. These lines can be used as rough guidance for tile layout and spacing.
Hardware Features
Ruggon PX-501 Tablet PC
The Ruggon PX-501 Tablet has a sunlight readable, high resolution WUXGA (1920×1200) touchscreen display. The battery works as a UPS so no worries if you lose power because of a tractor stall. With the wireless DAC 8000 interface installed, the only thing you need to plug into the PX501 is the power cable. Comes with rugged carrying case and RAM mounting hardware.

System
- Intel® Core™ i5-5350U 1.8GHz
- 8GB DDR3L
- 128GB M.2 SSD
- Windows 10 IoT Enterprise
Durability
- IP65, MIL-STD-810G certified
- Vibration, shock and 5’ drop resistance
- Operating temperature: -4°F to +140°F
Display
- 10.1” 1920 x 1200 WUXGA
- 850 nits sunlight readable brightness
- 10-point capacitive touch supports glove touch, water rejection, palm rejection, 2mm hard tip stylus.
I/O Interface
- USB 3.0 type A x 1
- RS-232 x 1
- Micro SD slot x 1, Micro SIM slot x 1, Micro HDMI x 1
- Headphone x 1
Communication
- Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth V4.0 + EDR
- GNSS (GPS/ GLONASS/ BeiDou)
Camera
- 2MP front
- 8MP auto focus rear camera with led flash
Power
- AC adapter (65W, 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz)
- 12VDC power cable
- 4500mAh hot swappable battery, approx. 6 hours battery life
Dimensions & Weight
- 11.03 x 7.68 x .91 in, 3lbs
DAC 8000
The DAC 8000 is a wireless multi-valve control module. Communication between the Ruggon PX-501 Tablet PC and the DAC 8000 is achieved via a custom dedicated wireless interface. On a standard ditching system, the DAC 8000 will pass RTK-GPS data to the control computer and then automatically control your blade depth via your tractor’s existing Selectable Control Valve (SCV). Supported SCV control for John Deere, CNH, and Challenger A & B series tractors.
No need to add another DAC 8000 if you want to add more control to your scraper or blade. The DAC 8000 has the power to control up to 3 valves of various types, simultaneously. It can also receive inputs from up to two slope sensors, as well as the RTK-GPS signal. It’s all the control you’ll need – in one unit.

SD Drain Tile Key Benefits
- Side view generated as survey pass driven.
- Automatically designs tile run as you drop plow into starter hole.
- Easily modify proposed design.
- Guidance light bar to follow survey pass during tile installation.
- Automatic flagging & redesign when plow deviates from designed run, such as a rock hit.
- Save and recall benchmarks.
- Import field designs & background images.
- Save and recall tile runs.
- Customize look of program.
